Form for making aircraft fuselages



1933. R. D. WEYERBACHER 1,940,830

FORM FOR MAKING AIRCRAFT FUSELAGES Original Filed Oct. 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l RALPH D. WEXERBACHER INVENTOR d/M ATTORNEY 1933'. R. D. WEYERBACHER FORM FOR MAKING AIRCRAFT FUSELAGES Original Filed Oct. 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Plu RALPH D. WEYERBACHER INVENTOR Ma M ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 26, 1933 Original applicatien October 3, 1 93 1, Seri al N 0.

566,691. Dividedand this application Novem her .28; 1932; Serial No. 644,644

seams; (o1. 153,-64)

. .(Granted,under the acto f March 3,-1883, I:

7 amended April 30,

My mental; r'elate'sthat; to an; airplane The primary object of'my invention isto fab'ri catepa spiral wound fuselage for an" aircraft from a sheet of metal without utilizing the conventional type .of longe'ron and vstrutimembersg Anotherobject of my invention is to provide in a; sheetofmetal makingup, a spiral'wound fuselage, an integral bead or stiffener at the places where the sheet metal overlaps in forming the spiral, and a suitable means for constructing the same. Y

n A further object of my invention is to provide in the construction of a spiralwound fuselage of an airplane, a spiral stiffener or bead member for supplying longitudinal and transverse strength to the entire structure.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device to construct an airplane fuselage of helical plate sections secured to a spiral wound reinforcing member at the point where two of the sections are joined together. I I I It'is also an object of my invention to fabricate a fuselage that is rugged, of light weight and well reinforced without the use of longeron and strut members. I

With the above and other objects in view,'the invention consists in the construction,.combination and arrangement of parts as will be described more fully hereinafter.

Reference is to be, had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which likereference characters indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views, and in which: n n

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved fuselage;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail section of my improved fuselage;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing a part of a jig for constructing my improved fuselage;

Fig. 5v is an end View of Fig. 4; V Fig. 6 is a detail section of a modified form .of my improved fuselage; V

Fig. '1 is a side elevation, partly in section, vof a jig for constructing the modified form of my improved fuselage;

Fig. 8 is an end view of Fig. 7;

modified form of my improved fuselage.

of metal 13, preferablyfduralumin' with slightly Fig. 9 is an inside view of .a portion of the n succeeding plate'and then riveting the resulting 110 Referringmoreparticularly to the drawings, 10 indicates a fuselage of an airplane havin cockpit llthereinfand conventional wing l2 secured thereto. "The fuselage 10"is constructed by spirally Winding along, relatively narrow sheet overlapping turns to produce aJtaperingQstructure ofdecreasing elliptical. section. A stiffener or reinforcing beadi 14 is" integrally pressed; shaped, or formed in an offset sideg15iof the sheet, 13 so that whenthesucces'sive turns "of the spiral arerivetedtogether by rivets 16 along the overlap 17, the bead 14 extends inward andforms a part of the joint while the offset side 15 permits a continuous surface. The forward end of the spirally wound sheet is sheared off to form a vertical front edge 18 to which the engine cowl, not shown, is secured. Riveted to the rear end of the fulelage 10 is a tail section 19 which is cut on an angle to conform to the spiral of the metalsheet 13. I desire it to be understood that the bead 14 may be an independent member with the spirally wound sheet of metal secured to it.

In building up my spirally wound fuselage, I utilize a collapsible jig or form, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, that has the shape of the finished product. This form is made up of a number of longitudinal units 20, either of wood or metal, movably secured together by means of hinges 21 and straps 22. Cut into the outer surface of the units 20 is a continuous spiral groove 23 adapted to receive and hold in place the'bead 14 while the sheet of metal '13 is being wound around the form.

In fabricating the fuselage 10, the bead 14 and offset side 15 are first pressed or formed into the sheet 13. The sheet is then spirally wound into shape around the jig with bead 14 extending into groove 23. After this operation, the jig is removed and the sheet in the spiral shape is made secure by riveting along the overlapped portions thereof. The resultant body is then vertically sheared at the forward end for the engine cowl and the tail member is, riveted to the rear of the body. Openings are suitably cut into the fuselage for the cockpit l1.

100 Figs. 6, 8 and 9 show a modified form of my improved fuselage wherein helical sections of sheet metal are secured together and attached to' an independent stiffener or U reinforcing 7 member 25. In this modification, plates 24 which 105 vary slightly in size and make up one complete section or turn of the fuselage are joined togefher by placing the rear portion of one of the plates 24in under the forward'portion of the lap joint to the stiffener 25. Each of the plates overlap at the bottom and are riveted as.at 26.

To build the modified fuselage, a suitable jig or form as shown in Figs. '7 and 8 is utilized. This form comprises longitudinal units 2'7, a central spindle 28, arms 29 and a movable bulkhead 30 for holding the units 27 in position. One end of the arms 29 is hinged by means of ears 31 and pins 32 to adjustable collars 33 that are movably mounted around the spindle 28 and can be secured in position by wedge pins 34. The other ends of the arms 29 are pivoted by pins 35 to cars 36 on the under side of units 2'7 and to vary the position of the units 2'7, the arms 29 are preferably of two sections joined together by a turnbuckle 3'7. The bulkhead 30 is movably secured to the spindle 28 by means of a collar 38 and wedge pin 39 passing through the collar and spindle. Grooves 40 for receiving the reinforcing member 25 are suitably spaced and cut into the units 27.

In' making up the modified form of fuselage, the jig is first set up and then the member 25 is spirally wound around the jig so as to properly fit into the grooves 40 of the units 2'7. The plates 24 are next rolled into shape and placed around the form. Each plate as it is placed is riveted to the succeeding plate and to the member 25. After all the plates are secured, including the front plate and the tail plate, the jig is removed and the cockpits are then cut into the top of the completed fuselage.

It will be understood that the above descrip tion and accompanying drawings comprehend only the general and preferred embodiment of my invention and that various changes in construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of this invention and the appended claims, without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

The herein described invention may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for governmental purposes Without the payment to me of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What I claim is:

1. In a form for making aircraft fuselages, comprising a central spindle, adjustable arms, means for hinging one end of said arms to the spindle, longitudinal members hinged to the other end of said arms, spiral grooves cut into said members and a bulkhead on said spindle adapted to hold said longitudinal members in an opening position wherebyv a fuselage can be built around the'same- 2. In a form for making aircraft fuselages comprising two longitudinal members, each of said members having hinged sections, strap members on the ends of said longitudinal members adapted to secure the same together to form the shape of a completed fuselage and a continuous spiral groove in said longitudinal members for receiving a portion of the fuselage.

RALPH D. WEYERBACHER. 

